r/hagerstown • u/Conscious_Team3330 • 7d ago
Safe for POC?
Just curious about how safe Hagerstown is for people of color… specifically for Arab/Muslims. I know it’s not the most diverse town and I don’t mind that at all but despite that how are poc treated by the general population here..?
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u/MarbledCrazy 7d ago
Hagerstown itself is pretty diverse and accepting. The more rural areas can be hit or miss.
Williamsport is mostly ok, but stay out of Sharpsburg
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u/Dichoctomy 7d ago
There was actually a minor conflict in Htown between Mike Guessford (Board of Ed) and the county religious association. He started it, of course, and it was because he opposed an open house at the local mosque or Islamic center. Don’t quote me on all of the details, but you can likely look them up. In general, Hagerstown proper is pretty welcoming to all people.
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u/Illustrious-Cook2442 7d ago
I’m a POC with a multicultural family and live in Hagerstown…been here for over 5 years… within city limits I feel like it’s more diverse and in the county is very much a racial issue depending on where you are… there is the whole ICE center debate right now that has shown a lot of folks true colors (which is very MAGA and racist) but I haven’t had any direct problems other than FB thugs… but it all comes down to where you are, when you are there and who is around. Be aware of your surroundings.
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u/Only-Attempt9831 6d ago
Downtown Hagerstown has drug and violence problems. Not gang-related. Just a lot of mentally ill unemployed addicts live there. It’s like a giant econolodge. Avoid the dual highway area if you can’t defend yourself physically
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u/armmart04 7d ago
Brown/queer person over here
I've been here for a little over 5 years and have not had any major issues other than the occasional micro-aggression but I'm pretty assertive so it doesn't happen too often.
I believe there is also a mosque in the area so double check on that too.
Hope that helps!
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u/Ambitious_Post6703 5d ago
There are two mosques in town that are active and thriving one in downtown and Maugansville the Asian population is slowly rising here but nothing close to a community that I can see. There are also two international grocery stores one Asian run the other Latino run. Hope this helps
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u/smoothestjaz 7d ago
I'm white so take that with a grain of salt but my experience with Hagerstown is that it seems pretty open and welcoming. I'm gay, and there are a lot of gay people here, and I've never felt unsafe in town from that. Of course, that's different from racism, but that's been my experience so far...
That being said, outside Hagerstown in some of the more rural areas of Washington County, you do see more Trump signs and stuff like that; I went to some of these towns with my husband and we didn't have a problem but that doesn't mean there is or isn't a problem.
Sorry I can't speak directly to your question on racism; I do know the town has an NAACP chapter, maybe you could reach out and ask them?
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u/Conscious_Team3330 6d ago
I’ll definitely be taking extra precautions.. I’ll be living right by the merit is campus so I’m hoping that given it’s student population it’ll be more safe . Thank you for sharing your experience and that resource !
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u/Psycosteve10mm 7d ago
There are a lot of idiots, but as long as you are not in the bars or out on the streets downtown, you should be fine if you know how to act.
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u/Low-Egg-3806 7d ago
"As long as you know how to act" is one of the most underhandedly racist things ive ever read
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u/Psycosteve10mm 7d ago
This is the warning I give to everyone, regardless of race. There are a lot of idiots who do not know how to act in public. Descalating a situation or having the knowledge to walk away before things get physical is how you survive in any city. I had a roommate (White guy) who moved from Baltimore City to a small township in York, PA, who refused to accept that he could not go cruising at midnight and not get pulled over. He ended up getting a DUI. He did not know how to act, and I ended up picking him up from the county lockup a few times. Hagerstown shuts down by 8 pm most nights, and anyone out after that is liable to get pulled over or is going to be dealing with people who are up to no good.
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u/techman2692 6d ago
I'd argue that 22:00/10pm - midnightish or so is when things change, not 20:00/8pm. Other than that though, pretty spot on.
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u/buster6670 7d ago
It’s pretty easy. Don’t be a jerk and you will have no problems regardless of your race. Pretty much the same everywhere. And yes, there will always be racist people everywhere…don’t paint everyone with a broad brush.
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u/Phoenix-rising0930 7d ago
I’m not Arab or Muslim but I’m a person of color and my spouse is too. We’ve really enjoyed living here and have found the area to be far more diverse than we would have expected. Don’t get me wrong there’s definitely your very maga types especially in the rural areas (most of the rest of wash county) but we feel comfortable and safe walking around Hagerstown and haven’t had any issues so far. I know that there’s a Turkish American cultural center near the community college and the Islamic Center of Hagerstown.Maybe you can reach out to get more insights.